Don't Count Her Out

Pieces like this, noting that Hillary Clinton seems to be losing political strength in polls across the country, are bound to strike joy into the hearts of Republicans across the country.

But the rejoicing is radically premature. Despite the ups and downs of polls, Hillary is still the most formidable candidate for her party's nomination. She's got money, she's got organization, and she's got her husband. What's more, although her supposedly moderate stance on the war has angered lots of lefty Dems, she's really not facing much competition for the center to moderate chunk of her party, given that former Virginia governor Mark Warner and Indiana senator Birch Bayh have both dropped out.

Note that John Edwards blunts Barack Obama's ability to make inroads in the southern/populist arena -- another plus for Clinton. Northeastern liberals like senators Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Joe Biden of Delaware just clog up the field and take votes from each other, while leaving Hillary -- with her enormous name ID and status as the only credible woman in the race -- pretty much untouched.

Right now, the Dem faithful may be angry at Hillary's stand on the war and fear she's not electable. But if things begin to go better in Iraq, they may change their minds, and decide to go with a credible candidate (like they did with Kerry over Dean) even though she doesn't set their hearts a-fluttering.